Hello Beekeepers! the winter is here and the branch meetings are underway, and the AGM is NEXT WEEK the 15th November 7:30 pm at the Parish rooms Tavistock. Bee-there please! Why not renew your membership …

Hello Beekeepers! Here is the latest information on the Asian Hornet sightings in the UK. HERE Current situation To date, there have been 13 confirmed sightings of the Asian hornet in England and six nests …

Hello Beekeepers! The Tavistock Beekeepers website should now appear correctly when you search for it; after the last of the last tweaks to recover it. (After our previous hosting service scrapped it for us 🙁 …

Hello Beekeepers! BBC Local Radio Devon hosted Tavistock Beekeepers last Wednesday on the Michael Chequer show. If you would like to hear the discussion about Queens and other things why not listen now? https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/p06ldg0f

Hello Beekeepers! A second Asian Hornet nest has been destroyed in Hampshire HERE :- This brings the total number of nests destroyed in England over two years to 6. National Bee Unit (NBU) inspectors are …

Hello Beekeepers! Tavistock beekeepers will be running a basic beekeeping training course early next year, the details are being finalised. If you would like to attend or know anyone who would like to attend please …

Hello beekeepers! After an experience of the worst kind of service from our previous web hosting service we are now up and running again on a new provider Wiserhosting who have been fantastic! The website …

The Tavistock Beekeepers website should now appear correctly when you search for it; after the last of the last tweaks to recover it. (After our previous hosting service scrapped it for us 🙁 ).

The editing of the contents will be ongoing, and if you see anything you would like corrected or added, or even if you want to submit something for the website please get in touch via tavistockbee@gmail.com

Your bees may be wide awake now and buzzing in the sunshine, this also means they will be eating through their stores of sugar. Please check on a warm sunny day and test your store levels by hefting the hive (to check its heavy). Top up the liquid feeder and prepare to switch to fondant when the temperatures plummet.

Be aware that any spilled feed will attract hungry wasps that are still out and about at present.

Ensure your mite treatments have stopped and that although bloodless the colonies are still healthy and have a queen if you can find her!

We have been donated some un-sellable sugar by Tavistock Tesco’s (Thank you Tesco’s!) and this will be handed out at branch meetings throughout the winter, so please bring a bag or two when we have some to share for your bees. – WebBee

This brings the total number of nests destroyed in England over two years to 6.

National Bee Unit (NBU) inspectors are still investigating reports of Asian Hornets in the Southampton area and in the Guildford area.It’s very important that members of the public and beekeepers keep alert for any unusual visitors to their gardens.

The weather is still warm enough for bees to fly and so that means that wasps and hornets can also keep flying to gather food.

The first nest in New Alresford in Hampshire was discovered when a member of the public told a beekeeper that there were some ‘very funny looking wasps’ on the rotting fruit in the orchard.

They turned out to be Asian Hornets so clearly rotting fruit will attract them as will prey like wasps and bees who are gathering nectar from ivy at the moment.

The NBU and Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are keen to stop this insect establishing in the UK and you should report any suspected sightings to alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk. Or via the Asian Hornet Watch app on your smartphone.When a sighting is confirmed, experts from those two agencies will work quickly to find and destroy any active nests in the area.

Tavistock beekeepers will be running a basic beekeeping training course early next year, the details are being finalised. If you would like to attend or know anyone who would like to attend please drop us an e-mail at tavistockbee@gmail.com

After an experience of the worst kind of service from our previous web hosting service we are now up and running again on a new provider Wiserhosting who have been fantastic! The website is still being redeveloped so please be patient while this is done.

Any comments please direct to WebBee at the Tavistock e-mail address on the contacts page. – WebBee